The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘WIMS RED’. ‘WIMS RED’ represents a new panicle hydrangea, a deciduous shrub grown for landscape use.
‘WIMS RED’ arose as part of an ongoing breeding program by the Inventor in Leende, The Netherlands with the goal of developing a new cultivar of panicle hydrangea with strong stems and inflorescences that change in color from white to red. ‘WIMS RED’ originated from a cross made in 2001 between ‘Pink Diamond’ (not patented) as the female parent and ‘Dharuma’ (not patented) as the male parent. The new Hydrangea was selected as a unique single plant from the progeny of the above cross in 2004.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by softwood stem cuttings in Rijkevorsel, Belgium in 2006 under the direction of the Inventor. Asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings and tissue culture has shown that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.